Don't Leave Her
by Acting-Singing-Bella
Summary: Zac and Vanessa have been in a fight for almost a week and aren’t talking. But what happens when Vanessa gets a call from his brother telling her that Zac’s appendix is being removed? Will she go to his side? Will they even make up?


**Don't Leave Her**

**Author's note: ****Hey everyone! Okay, so I know that I should be updating 'A Cinderella Story' but I just had a really good idea for a one shot story. I would like to credit Hersheyskiss for giving me the idea of the title. **

**Summary:****Zac and Vanessa have been in a fight for almost a week and aren't talking. But what happens when Vanessa gets a call from his brother telling her that Zac's appendix is being removed? Will she go to his side? Will they even make up?**

* * *

Vanessa Hudgens sat on her bed, angry and frustrated. She was so busy recording her second album and waiting for auditions. But she was angry at her boyfriend, Zac Efron. They weren't talking for a week now. And to be brutally honest, she didn't want to talk to him. He was the one being the jerk to her. She didn't do anything to deserve everything he said to her. Vanessa bit her lip and she rested her head down on her pillow. She began to think of the argument they had that led them to this nasty fight.

_**Flashback…**_

_"Zac, why can't you just listen to what I've been telling you?!" Vanessa half screamed across the room. Zac rolled his eyes and shook his head._

_"Vanessa, I heard you! I understand why you feel that way, but I swear I am staying loyal to you!" Zac told Vanessa, getting annoyed that she was being so paranoid about this. Vanessa was getting paranoid about how much time Zac was spending with his 17 Again co-star Michelle Trachtenberg. _

_"How do I know that Zac?! You could say that today but completely change your mind tomorrow! I don't want to get hurt Zac!" Vanessa exclaimed, her own fears suddenly feeling real to her now. _

_"Vanessa, you're being ridiculous! Michelle is just a friend. I don't like her the way I like you. Damn it, I love you Vanessa." Zac said desperately, hoping Vanessa would get a change of heart._

_"I love you Zac! This is more than just a young romance! I love you but I feel like your pushing me away! Not even because of Michelle, but because of your success! I feel like that's more important to you than me nowadays!" Vanessa yelled, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Zac rolled his eyes and he stomped over to her and he roughly took hold of her shoulders and made her look at him. He was becoming livid._

_"Vanessa, I swear to God, I am not changing! I hate it when you accuse me of changing!" Zac told her, getting annoyed. Vanessa looked at him, hurt mixed in with anger in her eyes._

_"Zac, you are changing! When was the last time you made time for the two of us to go on a date?! When was the last time you came to visit me in the studio?! I know you are filming movies, but why are you just completely ignoring the fact that I want to be with you! Do you not remember the promise that we made to each other? We promised no matter what we would always make time for each other. Now I feel like you even changed your mind about our promise!" Vanessa yelled, trying her hardest not to let anymore tears cascade down her cheeks._

_"I haven't forgotten our promise! Vanessa, why can't you just be a little understanding?!" Zac angrily asked. Vanessa couldn't handle it anymore; she pushed him off her, he immediately let go of her shoulders. It wasn't long until Vanessa let tears slip down her cheeks; she couldn't hold them in anymore._

_"Why can't I be a little more understanding? Why can't you?! You are Hollywood's new 'It' boy; every girl wants to be with you! How do I know you even want to be with me and not another Hollywood 'It' girl?! I'm sorry Zac, I have to go! I can't take this anymore." Vanessa tearfully said as she ran out the door of his apartment. Vanessa ignored his calls for her and she just kept running. She ran back to her parents' house and she had stayed there and stayed up all night crying over the unofficial breakup of her and Zac…_

Vanessa slowly opened her eyes and let a single tear stroll down her cheek. Maybe it wasn't all completely Zac's fault; she did say some things that weren't necessary. But it still hurt that Zac didn't bother to understand how she felt. She had a reason to fear that he would fall for his co-star; he was the hottest celebrity in Hollywood. Just because he was her boyfriend and they wore matching commitment rings, that didn't mean he had wandering eyes. But that didn't seem like her Zac. But she had to be prepared if it happened.

Just as she thought about how she began to doubt her relationship with Zac, she heard her cell phone ring. For all her friends, she had a special ring tone for everyone. She heard 'Stronger' by Kanye West; it was Zac's younger brother Dylan. Vanessa grabbed her cell phone and answered. Vanessa assumed that Dylan was playing cupid, trying to convince her to talk to Zac.

"Dylan?" Vanessa answered casually.

"Vanessa, I need your help!" Dylan said in a panic. Vanessa blinked in surprise. Why was Dylan panicking?

"Dylan, what's wrong, where are you?" Vanessa asked, immediately worried and concerned.

"It's Zac…he's having an appendectomy." Dylan said in a panic. Vanessa's heart stopped beating. Zac was having a surgery to have his appendix removed.

"Oh my god…what happened?!" Vanessa asked over the phone, jumping off her bed and slipping into her white flats.

"He was on the set of his movie and then it went downhill from there. Vanessa, I need you to come to the hospital; our parents are in Florida and they can't get a plane back. I really don't want to be here alone so I was wondering if you could come and stay with me." Dylan begged.

Vanessa bit her lip. She was mad at Zac and he probably didn't want to see her. But this was important. He needed her. She knew that it would mean a lot to him if she went to stay with Dylan. Vanessa let a sad smile creep across her face. She had to be strong; for Dylan and for Zac.

"I'll be there; what hospital are you at?" Vanessa asked.

"We're here at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center." Dylan informed her.

"Wait for me; I'll be there." Vanessa said as she closed her phone shut and she bolted out of her parents' house and jumped into her car and drove to the hospital where Zac was currently having surgery in.

_**At the hospital…**_

Vanessa walked down the halls of the hospital, trying to desperately find Dylan. Finally, after searching she found Dylan sitting in the waiting room. Vanessa looked at his eyes and she could tell that he had been crying. Vanessa couldn't blame him; if she found out that her little sister Stella was having an appendectomy and her parents weren't going to be there, she would be crying too. Dylan lifted his head up and he saw Vanessa standing there. Dylan got up from his seat and he ran over to Vanessa, who wrapped her arms around the younger Efron and they cried as they hugged each other.

"Dylan, it's okay. He's going to be fine." Vanessa said through the tears as she held on tightly to Dylan. Dylan nodded his head as he slowly let go of Vanessa.

"It's just scary. I thought I would have to be here alone." Dylan said, wiping away his tears. Vanessa let a sad smile grow across her face and she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dylan its okay, I'm here now." Vanessa told him comfortingly. Dylan bit his lip uncomfortably and he looked her in the eye.

"Look, um…Zac told m what went down between you two. If you're not comfortable being here, you don't have to stay here. I just thought that you might have wanted to come because you guys didn't officially breakup." Dylan explained. Vanessa smiled sadly.

"It's okay. I want to be here; for both of you." Vanessa told him. Dylan smiled at her in return and then the sudden motion of doctors pushing a stretcher caught their attention. Zac was on the stretcher; he was out of surgery.

Dylan and Vanessa followed the doctors that were swiftly pushing the stretcher into Zac's hospital room. The doctors placed Zac gently on his bed and he didn't wake up. He must have had a large dosage of antibiotics before having the surgery. Vanessa quickly ran to his side and she looked at the man she loved. He was pale and very sick looking. She touched his hand gently and it felt fairly cold. Dylan took the other side of Zac and he just stared; not knowing what to say or think.

"Hi there, I'm Doctor Marla Robinson. What are your relations to the patient?" Doctor Robinson asked. Dylan looked at her and he began to twiddle his fingers nervously.

"I'm his brother." Dylan said. Vanessa stood up but was a little more confident.

"I'm his girlfriend." Vanessa said. Doctor Robinson nodded and she looked down at her clipboard.

"Well he had a successful surgery and we were able to remove the appendix with no tribulations. It was a good thing he came when he did; if he waited another hour, he could've died." Doctor Robinson informed.

"And what now? What happens to my brother now?" Dylan asked nervously.

"Your brother is going to be fine. He may be asleep for a few hours and then he'll be good to go home. I'll leave you two here with him." Doctor Robinson said as she walked put of the room, leaving Vanessa and Dylan with Zac.

Vanessa took a seat beside Zac's bedside and she slowly took hold of Zac's pale and weak hand. Vanessa never imagined that she would be in a hospital room with Zac. She never imagined she could feel so guilty. She knew that it wasn't her fault that his appendix burst. But she felt guilty. She felt so vindictive. She slowly lifted his hand up and she kissed his knuckle and she rubbed his hand against her cheek. The anger and frustration she felt towards him the week before had subsided and she just longed for him now.

"You're worried about him aren't you?" Dylan asked her, seeing the longing in her eyes. Vanessa looked up at Dylan and she nodded her head.

"I can feel my stomach going uneasy; that's how worried I am right now." Vanessa said truthfully. Dylan lightly put a hand on his brother's shoulder and sighed to himself as he saw how sick and weak his older brother looked.

"You love my brother don't you?" Dylan asked. Vanessa stared at Zac's unconscious form and she let a sad smile grow across her face and she looked back at Dylan.

"I do. I truly do love him." Vanessa told Dylan.

"What's that like? I mean, what is the feeling you feel with my brother?" Dylan asked, trying not to make her feel uncomfortable. Vanessa didn't say anything for a moment or two; she just stared at Zac. Suddenly, she smiled as she held Zac's cheek into her hand.

"I can't explain it Dylan. When you find that someone, you'll understand what love feels like." Vanessa said, letting a tear streak her cheek. This tear wasn't a tear of despair; it was a tear of love and devotion. Dylan smiled. He knew right away that Vanessa's love for Zac was the real thing.

"I'll remember that." Dylan said with a smile. Vanessa smiled at him in return.

"Good."

_**During the night…**_

Dylan and Vanessa were still in Zac's hospital room, watching him as he slept. Vanessa and Dylan were taking turns staying up with Zac. Vanessa had just finished her turn and she fell asleep on a nearby chair in the room. Dylan pulled up a chair and he sat beside his big brother and looked at his pale skin. He had never seen his brother so pale. He had never seen his brother look so weak.

Dylan bit his lip. Zac was strong. Zac always looked out for him. Zac helped him learn to ride a bike with their father, Zac stood up for Dylan when older kids gave him a hard time and despite Zac's growing fame, Zac always managed to text him or try and get together with him. Dylan never imagined he would have to be the strong one. He knew that Zac would be proud that Dylan was so strong for him, but Dylan would have a hard time trying to get over the fear of having to take care of him alone. But thank God for Vanessa coming to help him.

Dylan smiled. He had seen his brother dating many girls before Vanessa, but he knew that he looked at Vanessa differently than he did with his former girlfriends. Zac actually looked like he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. Dylan also noticed that since they both had that big fight, Zac was acting different. He seemed really down and like he missed her. Dylan didn't even have to ask him; he knew that he wanted Vanessa back with him.

"Zac…I know that you can't hear me, but I just really need to talk to you." Dylan said, staring at his brother. Naturally, he didn't get a reply from his unconscious brother; so he just went on.

"I remember when I was about ten, you had just broken up with your girlfriend and were down about it for a day and then you were fine the next day. And I remember thinking how cool you were; you didn't care if you weren't dating her anymore, you just moved on. But I got to tell you Zac…Vanessa is different than that girl you dated." Dylan said, watching his brother's chest rise and fall. Dylan bit his lip again and he put a hand on his big brother's arm. He knew that Zac couldn't see it, but he had strong eyes that were being darted at Zac.

"Zac…don't leave her. This girl actually cares about you. She can't even see anyone when she's with you. Don't leave her Zac; I know that you'd regret it in the end." Dylan said, meaning every word he said.

Dylan took in a breath and he looked at the clock in the room. It was three thirty in the morning. Dylan knew that Vanessa only had thirty more minutes to sleep until it was her turn to watch Zac, but Dylan decided he wouldn't; he wanted to stay up with his brother. He had always looked up to his brother when he was younger. Zac was always there for Dylan; now Dylan wanted to be there for Zac.

"I'm always here for you bro." Dylan whispered to his brother with a smile.

_**In the morning…**_

Vanessa's eyes slowly opened her eyes and she stared at the ceiling. For a split second, she forgot where she was and then she remembered coming to the hospital late last night to stay with Dylan and Zac. Vanessa slowly lifted her head from the chair and she saw Dylan sitting a chair across from her, holding two cups of coffee. He smiled cheerfully at her.

"Good morning." Dylan said, handing her a cup of coffee. Vanessa graciously took the cup of coffee from his hands and smiled tiredly.

"Good morning…what time is it?" Vanessa asked as she took a sip of her coffee. Dylan looked at the clock and then back at Vanessa.

"It is exactly eight o'clock." Dylan said, taking a long drink from his coffee. Vanessa raised both her eyebrows.

"Weren't you supposed to wake me up to watch Zac?" Vanessa asked. Dylan shrugged his shoulders.

"I was supposed to, but I didn't want to. I wanted to spend some time with Zac." Dylan explained drinking more of his coffee. Vanessa nodded in understanding.

"I understand…listen Dylan, you look pretty worn out. You didn't sleep at all did you?" Vanessa asked, noticing the dark circles under Dylan's eyes. Dylan shook his head, as if it weren't a big deal.

"It's not a big deal." Dylan said, shrugging it off. Vanessa shook her head, placing her coffee on a nearby table. She stood up and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Dylan, that's not healthy for you! You're still a young teenager! Look, I want you to go and get some sleep. I'm going to call my mom and you can sleep at my house." Vanessa said as she pulled out her phone. Dylan quickly got up and he closed her cell phone. He shook his head.

"Vanessa, there is not need. They have a family room or something like that where family members can sleep. I'll just sleep in there. That okay or do you want to sleep a little bit longer?" Dylan asked. Vanessa smiled sweetly at Dylan. This was the sweetest kid she ever knew.

"No Dylan I'll be fine. But I swear; you're going to be my favorite brother-in-law." Vanessa told him as she hugged him tightly. Dylan smiled.

"Come get me if you need me." Dylan said as he walked out of the room and headed to the family unit. Vanessa smiled and she turned to her boyfriend and she took a chair and sat at the side of his bed. She took hold of his hand again and she kissed it multiple times with her perfect and smooth lips. She looked at her boyfriend and she sighed sadly. He still hadn't woken up. It began to worry her.

"Zac…I love you." Vanessa said just above a whisper as she gently put his hand back down on the mattress. She let a single tear stream down her cheek. She was overtired and she was worried sick about Zac. She couldn't break down, but she couldn't hold in her tears anymore.

"Zac, I can't even explain how much I love you. I'm so sorry Zac. Please just wake up so I can talk to you." Vanessa said just above a whisper tearfully. She put her face into her right hand and she whimpered to herself. She knew it wasn't going to help Zac, but it helped her get out her emotions.

Suddenly, Vanessa felt a hand gently cradle her left cheek into their strong and rugged hand. Vanessa immediately stopped crying to herself and she turned to see who the hand belonged to that safely and gently cradle her face in their hand. Her eyes widened. It was Zac; he was awake. Zac smiled at her as his thumb gently caressed her cheek.

"Hi." Zac said, his rugged thumb brushing away Vanessa's tears. Vanessa smiled happily at the sight of Zac being awake.

"Zac! Oh Zac I was so scared!" Vanessa exclaimed in ecstasy as she gently came down and hugged her boyfriend. Zac happily hugged her back in return and he gently kissed her head.

"I guess I had surgery eh?" Zac asked jokingly. Vanessa nodded her head and had a solemn look in her eyes that immediately caught Zac's attention.

"Yeah you did. Zac, I can't even explain how scared Dylan and I were." Vanessa told him solemnly.

"Dylan's here?" Zac asked. Vanessa nodded her head as she walked around to the left side of the hospital bed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah he called me. Your parents couldn't get a flight back so Dylan called me to come. He was great; he stayed up all night to watch over you. So I sent him over to sleep in the family unit now and then you woke up." Vanessa explained to Zac. Zac stared at Vanessa and let a grin slowly grow across his face.

"So Dylan called you…and you came?" Zac asked, surprised. Vanessa nodded her head and she rested down beside Zac on the bed, making sure not to touch his right side where his appendix was removed.

"Of course I came…Zac…I'm so sorry about last week. I really shouldn't have…" Vanessa began to say until she was interrupted by Zac gently pressing a finger across her lips. He stared into her eyes lovingly as he cupped her cheek into his hand and began to gently caress her cheek.

"Don't apologize to me Vanessa. I'm sorry too. You were right; I should've been a little more understanding of why you felt like that. But I wasn't. I'm truly sorry." Zac apologized, his thumb continuously caressing her cheek. Vanessa smiled lovingly as she leaned her face into his gentle touch.

"It doesn't matter Zac…I love you. I love you so much. I can't even explain how I feel about you." Vanessa told him, the love she felt for him clearly showing in her powerful voice. Zac smiled in return as he began to run his hand up and down her silky smooth cheek.

"I love you too Vanessa. I can't even explain how lost I would feel without you there with me." Zac told her, slowly moving into her. Vanessa did the very same thing.

"It wasn't long until their lips connected. They kissed passionately on Zac's hospital bed. Zac's hands gently cupped both her cheeks into his hands and he caressed them gently. Vanessa put both her hands onto Zac's broad and muscular shoulder. They remained like that for many moments until they both ran out of breath. Vanessa rested her head down on his pillow and Zac wrapped an arm around her securely. Vanessa's eyes began to close and she turned to Zac and she smiled lovingly.

"Zac?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you promise that we will never get into fights like that again?" Vanessa asked, completely love struck with her boyfriend. Zac smiled as he kissed her cheek gently.

"I promise...Van, can I ask you something?" Zac asked, pulling her in close to him. Vanessa smiled as she gazed into his eyes.

"Anything." Vanessa urged. Zac grinned and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Are you still going to be dating me when you're twenty-five?" Zac asked, his question sounding very out of the blue. Vanessa smiled and nodded her head.

"Of course I will." Vanessa said. Zac smiled as he kissed her lips gently and softly.

"Will you marry me when you're twenty-five then?" Zac asked lovingly. Vanessa smiled ecstatically and nodded her head.

"Of course I will Zac!" Vanessa exclaimed, kissing his lips again. Zac and Vanessa remained like that, carrying that promise with them until it was their time. And they are waiting for that day to come still.

* * *

_**Well there is that one-shot! Please read and review…thanks a ton!**_

_**Acting-Singing-Bella**_


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